Tape Rotation; Choosing A Backup Scheme - ACRONIS Backup & Recovery 10 Advanced Server SBS Edition User Manual


For each full backup
The preset is: Disabled.
When this option is enabled, each full backup will be written onto a free tape. The tape will be
loaded to a drive especially for this operation. If the Use a separate tape set option is enabled, only
incremental and differential backups of the same data will be appended to the tape.

For each differential backup
The preset is: Disabled.
When this option is enabled, each differential backup will be written onto a free tape. This option is
available only when using free tape for each full backup is selected.

For each incremental backup
The preset is: Disabled.
When this option is enabled, each incremental backup will be written onto a free tape. This option is
available only when using free tape for each full and differential backup is selected.
4.1.3.8

Tape rotation

If all backups are deleted from a tape, i.e. if information about the last backup on the tape is deleted
from the storage node database, the tape is considered as empty and can be reused during a backup
cycle. The same tape rotation enables you to get by with the minimum number of cartridges and not
to be buried in used tapes.
Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 enables you to achieve full automation of tape rotation while backing
up onto tape libraries.
This section provides you with useful information to choose a backup scheme and tape options for
tape rotation.
To calculate the number of tapes required for tape rotation schemes, you can use the method
described in the Tape planning (p. 142) section.

Choosing a backup scheme

When creating a backup policy/plan with a tape library destination, the following backup schemes
are available: Back up now, Back up later, Grandfather-Father-Son, Tower of Hanoi, or Custom. The
Simple backup scheme is disabled, because backup consolidation is impossible for archives located
on tapes.
Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 provides automation of tape rotation for Grandfather-Father-Son,
Tower of Hanoi, and Custom backup schemes.
Grandfather-Father-Son (p. 31) (GFS) and Tower of Hanoi (p. 35) (ToH) are the most popular backup
schemes to use on tape library devices. These schemes are optimized to maintain the best balance
between a backup archive size, the number of recovery points available from the archive, and the
quantity of required tapes for archiving.
If your backup archive must provide recovery with daily resolution for the last several days, weekly
resolution for the last several weeks and monthly resolution for any time in the past, the most
preferred scheme for you is the Grandfather-Father-Son scheme.
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